The Difference a Potent Power-Play Could Make for the Blue Jackets
The Blue Jackets keep talking about how close they are to competing. One thing that could really help them improve immediately, as early as next season? Icing a competent power-play.
By Curtis Deem
Over the last six seasons, the highest the Blue Jackets have ranked in power-play conversion percentage is 24th in the NHL. That was two years ago, where they converted at an 18.6% rate in the 2020-21 season.
Their record from that season was 37-38-7; the only time they have been anywhere close to a .500 win percentage during this rebuild. At a first glance, it seems that there is a direct correlation between power-play success and team success.
Digging deeper, the last time the Jackets finished higher than 24th in the NHL was the 2016-17 season, where they landed 12th in the NHL, converting at 19.9%. The team finished with a franchise record 108 points that season.
Indeed, a strong power-play certainly seems to lead to more wins. Just how many more wins though? Would it make a big difference this season? I definitely think so. Let's dive into the numbers.
Since that 2016-17 outlier, the Jacket power-play has ranked as follows in each season: 25th (17.2%), 28th (15.4%), 27th (16.4%), 27th (15.4%), 24th (18.6%), and 26th (18.3%).
There is certainly a lot of room for improvement here, which is supposedly part of the reason the team went out and recruited Mark Recchi as an assistant coach. How has the unit responded?